Community Tasting Notes 49

• Frijole wrote:

  December 28, 2020 - dark cola cognac, rust, lots of clarity, copper brown hue
  Nose: raspberry, orange rind, tar, tobacco, wet earth, black peppercorn, caramel, toasted oak
  Pal: tart maraschino cherry, raspberry, touch swine, tobacco, tar, wet earth, dirt, vanilla, smoke, touch caramel, toasted oak, some complexity
  Feel: medium, balanced, structured
  Finish: long
  TC8 (could be a 9)
  Compiled note with a larger group; extremely interesting wine, hard to tell how much longer this could go

  Comment

• WetRock wrote:

  May 19, 2019 - As with my previous go around with this I find it hard to believe it is an actual '68. The cork is also fairly new looking. This looks and performs more advanced than when I had it eight years back but it's also still youngish seeming for 50 years on. I'm wondering maybe if there was a sealed barrel found? These bottles popped up in the market some years back with one other vintage I believe. And they used a massive bottle for presentation.
  Strong humidor/cigar aromas that lean to the very wood-like. Dusty light red fruits with notes of tea. The palate is a basic aged red.

  Comment

• SchlaepDog Likes this wine: 95 points

  August 31, 2018 - From the second release in 2011.
  
  The dark purple color has lots of brown edges, but looks surprisingly fresh for 50 years.
  
  Open an hour now and the nose is still a bit subdued. Musty red fruits, charcoal, ash, some forest floor/mushroom notes. Not exactly overly enticing.
  
  The wine is of Burgundy weight and overall light, delicate, frame. Very surprised by the abundant fresh red cherry, pomegranate, strawberry fruit along with some raspberry. Amazingly young tasting as the wine caresses the palette with layered fruit decades younger than what the label says it should. Would never guess this wine was 50 years old, maybe 15-20 years.
  
  Mid-palette shows saddle-leather, earth, and notes of herbs like thyme/oregano. Tannins mostly resolved and just slightly dry.
  
  The finish is medium long with more cherry fruit/earthy note with the cranberry coming out in the end. The texture is silky, but not creamy and leaves a nice impression in the mouth.
  
  Overall, fantastic older wine, perfect for my 50th birthday, surprisingly young tasting as in no way does this taste ancient. This guy could easily go for another 10+ years.

  Comment

• drwine2001 wrote:

  May 26, 2018 - Fiftieth Birthday Dinner with 1968 Riojas and Other Treats (San Francisco): Incredibly saturated ruby color for a 50 year old wine. Aromas of black cherry explode out of the glass. Big wine, chocolatey and textural with surreal concentration and freshness of fruit, yet balanced and quite complex as well. It looked and tasted AT LEAST 30 years younger. Freakishly great performance and quite a surprise, to say the least.

  Comment

• gingerbreadman Likes this wine: 90 points

  November 26, 2015 - A delight. Evolved and evolved over about 5 hours.

  Comment

Pro Reviews 2

Wine Definition

• Vintage 1968
• Type Red
• Producer Viña Valoria
• Varietal Tempranillo Blend
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard n/a
• Country Spain
• Region La Rioja
• SubRegion n/a
• Appellation Rioja
• UPC Codes 8421185000074, 8421185681105

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 2 (1%)
• In Cellars 163 (43%)
• Consumed 212 (56%)

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